Month: August 2015

You may have seen the discussion yesterday about Burger King's 'McWhopper' idea. It was either a smart idea or a PR stunt by a struggling brand piggy-backing a good cause, depending on your POV. One of our people put together an appropriately cheeky return in the spirit of BK's serve. Scott Dungate writes:

Yesterday we saw Burger King offer a truce to rival burger giant MacDonald's. On Peace Day, 21 September, the two companies would put their differences aside, and in a pop-up store in Atlanta, they would make ‘The McWhopper’, a hybrid burger, using the best bits of the Whopper and the Big Mac.

Rather than approaching McDonald's directly, they ran an ad (above) to publicise this idea. And launched a website.

You have to admire the cheekiness of Burger King in this proposition. It definitely put McDonald’s in an awkward position. It’s hard to work with your arch-enemy and run with their idea, but hard also to turn your back on world peace.

As news and social media picked up on the McWhopper proposal, people waited for a response from McDonald's. And it was… (arguably) underwhelming, dull and a pretty killjoy response from the CEO. Social media suggested that those watching were disappointed at McDonald's response too (no-one likes a buzz-kill) leaving Burger King the clear victor by non-contest.

But what if McDonald's had raised the stakes? Flexed their global muscles for global peace? What if they spat the challenge back at Burger King, and asked them to SUPER-SIZE The McWhopper offer, and take it beyond one pop-up store in Atlanta, and roll it out globally, in every city where they wage ‘burger war’? Think of all the McWhoppers sold and the money raised for Peace One Day. Makes sense for two big global brands to act globally, if you’re riding on the coat-tails of global peace.

PS: Just for fun, here’s a freebie (totally unendorsed by either McDonald's or BK):

Whether through misdirection, deceptive movement or razor-sharp instinct, football strikers need to be one step ahead of their opponents.

To truly experience this deceptive nature, you have to see how a player thinks. So in our latest campaign for Nike, centred around the new Hypervenom boot, we explore what goes on inside the minds of some of the world’s deadliest strikers.

Working with animation company Buck, we created a series of films and illustrations for the likes of Neymar Jr, Lewandowski, and Kane, each based on an insight true to the player's attacking style.

Our film for Lewandowski is focused on how his game is built around predatory instinct and masterful finishing. His awareness enables him to sniff incredible goals out of nowhere.

What marks Harry Kane out is his ability to create chances for himself. He doesn’t have to wait for the ball to come to him, he makes it happen on his own.

There's no one like Neymar Jr. Famed for his ability to deceive and torment defenders, once he has plotted his path to goal, there is no stopping him.

Featuring mind-bending transitions and non-stop action, Buck created a surreal Hypervenom world comprised of fluorescent colour and masterfully simple line work.

We spoke with Tom, creative director at Buck, about their process:

“When our creative team first sat down to envision the project in our heads, we all kept going back to the original 80's Thundercats intro as a paragon of heroic action and a really creative approach to camera and sets. In addition, one of the principal tenets of this Hypervenom state was to establish the visions inside each athlete's head as a surreal dimension where we could exaggerate images and twist the rules to make the world odder and more ethereal. This is why we gravitated to 2D: it allows you to experiment with characters and imagery in a way that other media have a tough time doing.”

Along with these three animated shorts, we created an unusual, surreal world of images that show how Hypervenom strikers see the game differently.

The campaign is currently running across twelve featured athletes' Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts, so keep an eye out.

At the cinema today there was an ad in the break for Asda (above). The ad was something to do with making the most of summer, which I was doing by sitting in the cinema on a sunny day. Asda are now using the same strapline as their Walmart parent brand does in the USA.

Which is kind of similar to Target's positioning.

A couple of minutes later in that cinema ad break, a Sainsbury's ad popped up. It was something to do with making the most of summer. Sainsbury's are still saying, 'Live well for less."

Live well for less.

Save money, live better.

What's the diff? I fully expect a new Morrisons campaign to launch with the slogan, "Pay less, live more."

Ad slogans are the least of their issues, but is it any wonder UK retailers are struggling to bring meaningful differentiation to their brands?

Last week we were honoured to be invited by St Joseph's Hospice to go and present a big cheque to them, have a tour round and meet some of the team there.

We've been raising money for St Joseph's since one of our beloved WK-ers, Cheryl Rogers, passed away there in January last year. It's an incredible place and as usual the team visiting left feeling incredibly humble and moved by the experience.

Anita showed us round as not all of us had visited before, and explained a bit about the Hospice's history. The level of care they give their patients both at home and within the hospital walls is genuinely amazing. They put a huge amount of thought and effort into helping people live their lives to the full to the very end (that's their mission statement) and it was incredibly special to learn a bit more about the work they do and how the money we've raised has helped them. Thanks everyone at St Joseph's for showing us round (and some delicious cake)

RB, the global consumer health, hygiene and home company, has appointed Wieden+Kennedy on the Nurofen business globally after a review process which included McCann Erickson and incumbent, Havas.

Roberto Funari, Executive Vice President global category development, says ‘We are delighted that Wieden+Kennedy will be partnering with us on this key brand. The quality of the strategic and creative thinking we have seen throughout the review has been superb”.

As a brand, Honda continually takes on some pretty daring engineering projects. From Formula 1 through to aviation and humanoid robotics, Honda’s challenging spirit runs through everything it does, and we think there’s no other car company quite like it.

This is set to be a big year for Honda. During 2015, every model within Honda’s automobile line-up is new or refreshed, including the new HR-V and the hotly anticipated Civic Type R. This year has also seen the Honda Jet make its first commercial flight and Honda’s return to Formula 1.

We wanted to create an out-of-this-world brand campaign that would reflect this daring ambition, capturing Honda’s philosophy with the inspiring campaign line: “Dare to do the things others only dream of.”

Inspired by Honda’s daring spirit, the film pays homage to one of the boldest expressions of human curiosity and engineering endeavour; space flight.

Opening on Honda’s humanoid robot, ASIMO, the camera reveals a line-up of Honda products arranged on an impressive runway. The sky and sun are reflected in the road surface and the water below. Viewed from above, the formation mimics the familiar shape of a space shuttle or rocket.

From the NSX’s driver captured with a picture of an original 1991 NSX held in his hand to space travel-inspired iconography and cinematic details, the film aims to capture viewers’ imaginations. Eagle eyed viewers will even spot a very special cameo from McLaren-Honda driver Jenson Button and recognise the voice of the late, great Ayrton Senna.

Ignition was shot on location on the Podilsko-Voskresenskyi bridge, Kiev, Ukraine by Aoife McArdle through Somesuch. Local production was supplied by Radioaktive. The film’s epic cinematic look was enhanced through SFX and post production by The Mill, and sound design was crafted by Factory. The film’s score was designed by science fiction film composer Walter Mair through SIREN, and features segments from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Mozart’s Queen of the Night Aria; 2 tracks that feature on the Golden Record that Voyager took into outer space in 1977. Media was handled by Starcom MediaVest Group.

The film is additionally supported online through Honda’s websites, where deeper stories on the ambition and challenges of the fleet can be found.

If daring to do things others only dream of looks this good, we’re definitely on board.

This summer, Wieden+Kennedy have teamed up with Honda to launch ‘Ignition’, an out-of-this-world brand campaign.

During 2015 every model within Honda’s automobile line-up is new or refreshed, including the new HR-V and the hotly anticipated Civic Type R. This year has also seen the Honda Jet make its first commercial flight and Honda’s return to Formula 1.

No other company has the heritage of engineering across as many categories as Honda: automobiles, motorcycles, robotics, power equipment, aviation and racing. The mission of Ignition’s launch film is to dramatise Honda’s daring ambition, capturing the brand’s philosophy with the inspiring campaign line: “Dare to do the things others only dream of.”

Inspired by Honda’s daring spirit, the film pays homage to one of the boldest expressions of human curiosity and engineering endeavour; space flight.

Space travel-inspired iconography and cinematic details aim to capture viewers’ imaginations, from atmospheric photography to the same climatic classical music that was etched into the Voyager 1 probe’s golden record and sent to the outer fringes of the solar system.

Opening on Honda’s humanoid robot, ASIMO, the camera reveals a line-up of Honda products arranged on an impressive runway. The sky and sun are reflected in the road surface and the water below. Viewed from above, the formation mimics the familiar shape of a space shuttle or rocket.

Honda’s heritage is woven throughout the film. For example, the new NSX’s driver is captured, with a picture of an original 1991 NSX held in his hand. Eagle eyed viewers will spot a very special cameo from McLaren-Honda driver Jenson Button and recognise the voice of the late, great Ayrton Senna.

Ignition was shot on location on the Podilsko-Voskresenskyi bridge, Kiev, Ukraine by Aoife McArdle through Somesuch. Local production was supplied by Radioaktive. The film’s epic cinematic look was enhanced through SFX and post production by The Mill, and sound design was crafted by Factory. The film’s score was designed by science fiction film composer Walter Mair through SIREN, and features segments from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Mozart’s

Queen of the Night Aria; 2 tracks that feature on the Golden Record that Voyager took into outer space in 1977. Media was handled by Starcom MediaVest Group.

The film is additionally supported online through Honda’s websites where deeper stories on the ambition and challenges of the fleet can be found.

We won’t let the constant rain dampen our mood as we have some exciting news to share, Mondelēz International has named us lead creative agency for its UK Maynards and Bassett’s accounts.

We were awarded the business after a competitive pitch and it builds on our strong existing relationship with Mondelēz, whose North American Stride and Trident accounts we’ve held since 2011 and 2014 respectively, as well as the global Halls business since 2013 and Trebor in the UK since 2014.

The brands that were awarded to us include Jelly Babies, Liquorice Allsorts and Wine Gums. Work will begin immediately across various ATL media channels, for release in 2016.

We’re really excited to do some great work for two great brands we’ve all grown up with. Not to mention even more treats to add to our sweetie jar.

Mondelēz International has named Wieden+Kennedy London lead creative agency for its UK Maynards and Bassett’s accounts. The business was awarded after a competitive pitch and builds on the agency’s strong existing relationship with Mondelēz, whose North American Stride and Trident accounts W+K London has held since 2011 and 2014 respectively, as well as the global Halls business since 2013 and Trebor in the UK since 2014.

Across the Wieden+Kennedy network, W+K Sao Paulo holds the Mondelēz Lacta chocolate account, and W+K Amsterdam is the lead creative agency for its Milka brand. The Maynards and Bassett’s brands awarded to W+K London include Jelly Babies, Liquorice Allsorts and Wine Gums. Work will begin immediately across various ATL media channels, for release in 2016.

Tony Davidson, Executive Creative Director Wieden+Kennedy London, comments “We're looking forward to doing some great work for two great brands we've all grown up with. Not to mention even more treats to add to our sweetie jar”

Elisabeth Huelsmann, Snr Brand Manager at Mondelēz commented “We are delighted to be working with W+K on Maynards and Bassetts . They have done some outstanding work on other Mondelez International brands and we can’t wait to see the exciting new creative.”

W+K have teamed up with Finish to promote their Dishwasher Cleaner product. The ‘Who Cleans The Cleaner?’ film launched on 10th August 2015 and is Wieden+Kennedy London’s second campaign for RB’s Finish brand since winning the account in 2014.

The aim of the new campaign is to make consumers think (for the first time) about the cleanliness – or indeed the dirtiness – of their machine by reminding them of the amount of dirty, greasy, sticky dishes they throw at their dishwasher, day in, day out.

Dishwashers have so much thrown at them day after day, season after season. Finish knows that cleaning dishes is a dirty business and those taken-for-granted dishwashers need cleaning too.

The campaign is based on the insight that there is a low awareness amongst consumers that dishwashers themselves need to be cleaned. The ‘Who Cleans The Cleaner?’ spot aims to spur them into action, by bringing viewers’ attention to the dishwasher itself in an innovative way by asking “Who cleans the cleaner?”

The film imagines what a year of dirty dishes looks like for a dishwasher. From the point of view of the machine, the same kitchen setting repeatedly glides towards viewers. Each time, they meet the same family, loading the machine with dirty dishes at different moments throughout the year.

From mucky breakfast plates in January, right through to sticky cake bowls at Christmas. The 30” film continues the unique, dish-obsessed voice and playful visual style established by Wieden+Kennedy London’s first brand campaign, ‘Dishes.’ The story was brought to life by directing duo RBG6 through Friend, with seamless post-production provided by Time Based Arts.